Fuel Poverty Bill gets the OK, but with call for changes
High-rise blocks. Glasgow housing scheme, in cloudy dusk sky. Inner city/urban deprivation.
The Local Government and Communities Committee has agreed with the general principles of a new Bill to address fuel poverty. There had been a previous target to eradicate fuel poverty in Scotland by 2016, but this was not met. This Bill therefore sets a target of no more than 5 per cent of households living in fuel poverty by 2040. Addressing fuel poverty is one key aspect of ensuring that everyone has their human right to an adequate standard of living.
As part of its report, the Committee also calls for a separate target to focus on people living in ‘extreme fuel poverty’ – those spending more than 20 per cent of their income on fuel. The Committee wants this separate target to be included in the Bill, so that those most in need of help are not left behind. The Scottish Government has replied that they will consider introducing such a target to address extreme fuel poverty at Stage 2 of the Bill.
You can read the Committee’s report on this Bill here: https://sp-bpr-en-prod-cdnep.azureedge.net/published/LGC/2019/1/29/Stage-1-Report-on-the-Fuel-Poverty–Target–Definition-and-Strategy—Scotland–Bill/LGC-S5-19-02.pdf
The Scottish Government’s response to this report is available here: https://www.parliament.scot/S5_Local_Gov/Inquiries/20190215_FPB_MinLGHPToConvener.pdf
Image credit: Danny Navarro, Flickr